Michael La Due

Contact Michael La Due

About Michael La Due

I moved to Champaign after a year at McGill University in Montreal to study the History of Ideas at the University of Illinois. After receiving my B.A., I worked at the Illinois State Historical Library and Society, published a chapbook of poetry, as well as a feature in the Illinois Times. Throughout this period, I also completed my educational career with a Masters Degree in European Studies from the University of Illinois.

I pride myself in being a scholar and a poet. I have read verse across the country, as well as participated in the Illinois Arts Council–funded Jazz Poetry Project, the U of I threads program, Jazz Vespers, and No Struggle…No Progress: Honoring Frederick Douglas. Throughout the years, I have worked at a variety of locations and I am currently employed as the manager at Jon’s Pipe Shop.

I served as a founder of Illinois’ first municipal joint action organization and I currently serve as a member on the Champaign Public Library Board of Trustees. I am the longest serving Council Member in the history of the twin cities, elected into office in 1985. Most recently, I was re-elected in 2013 to serve an additional term as a representative for District 2.